Multi-level building with multi-layered vented walls



y 1968 E. LONGINOTTI 3,390,497

MULTI-LEVEL BUILDING WITH MULTI-LAYERED VENTED WALLS Filed April 13,1966 4 Sheets$h.eet 1 E. LONGINOTTI July 2, 1968 MUL'lI-LEVEL BUILDINGWITH MULTI-LAYERED VENTED WALLS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 13, 1966 y1968 E. LONGINOTTI 3,390,497

MULTI-LEVEL BUILDING WITH MULTI-LAYERED VENTED WALLS Filed April 13,1966' 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,390,497 MULTI-LEVELBUILDING WITH MULTI-LAYERED VENTED WALLS Enrico Longinotti, Viale DonatoGiannotti 75, Florence, Italy Filed Apr. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 542,282Claims priority, application Italy, Apr. 15, 1965, 8,577/ 65; Feb. 15,1966, Patent 759,987 4 Claims. (Cl. 52236) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Abuilding structure having a framework with columns, perimetralhorizontal beams, floors, and a wall construction composed of threespaced panels supported by the beams via a horizontal panel having rowsof projections which engage recesses in the lower edges of the panels,the outer two panels defining a continuous vertical cavity for aircirculation.

This invention relates to a building construction, applicable, forexample to a metal framed building completed by concrete filling orother mouldable materials.

According to the present invention, there is provided in a buildingstructure horizontally-extending plate means, projection meansupstanding from the said plate means and arranged in a row, and avertically-extending panel having spaced holes along one edge thereof,said holes being so spaced that each engages on one of said projectionmeans.

For triple walls, for instance, acting as external walls, provision maybe made for plate members with three rows of projections. These membersmay be drilled in correspondence of the inter-space between side-by-sidepanels arranged to ensure the continuity of an air circulation gap.

Certain building constructions in accordance with the invention will nowbe described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanyingdiagrammatic drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectionof an assembly including vertical walls;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cornice used in the assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section of an assembly of thevertical walls of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side view and a section of an assembly of twowalls at right angles to each other;

' FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a panel;

FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are four fragmentary sections illustrating methodsof assembling plate members to a ceiling or floor structure;

FIG. 10 is a section, on enlarged scale along line X-X of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are perspective views showing various plate membersfor the connection of the panels at corners and for securing fittings;

FIGS. 14 and 15 are side views of the plate member of FIG. 13 as usedfor abutting against a ceiling and as used for connection at anintermediate level on to a wall panel respectively;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary perspective view of a plate member for theconnection of contiguous panels;

FIGS. 17 and 18 illustrate respectively such a plate member in side viewand as used for abutting against a ceiling and as used for connection atan intermediate level in a wall;

FIG. 19 illustrates a local section, on enlarged scale, along lineXIXXIX of FIG. 18;

"ice

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a wall during course of construction;and

FIGS. 21, 22, 23 and 24 illustrate fragmentary plan views and ahorizontal section of walls constructed with the members as shown inFIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 16.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, an embodiment of a floor structure andceiling is illustrated in outline. The structure includes supportingcolumns 1 and one main horizontal I-section beam 3 on which subsidiarybeams 7 are carried by inverted channel-section members 5. The beams 7are only partially visible in these figures and have a double-T section;they form a portion of the ceiling structure. The ceiling structureincludes a lower plate 9 to which light-weight material projections 11are bonded (the light-weight material is, for example, an expandedsynthetic resin). The projections 11 may be hollow with the concavityfacing downwardly. Between the beams 3 and 7 or between equivalentadditional structures, cast concrete 13 is provided and this is arrangedtowithstand at least compressive forces. Profiled members 15 rigid withthe plates 9 are embedded in the concrete and are intended to providestrength before the setting of the concrete. The concrete 13 mayincorporate reinforcing rods or stirrups 17, projecting portions 17a ofwhich serve to support a cornice 19, as hereinafter described.

The assembly of the parts forming partition walls or external wallscooperates with a vertical support structure as illustrated, oralternatively with another equivalent continuous structure or a columnstructure and with a horizontal structure as illustrated, or with anysuitable ceiling and floor structure.

For the construction of the vertical walls, plane panels 21 (FIG. 5) ofany appropriate and desired material are used and along the upper andlower edges 21a of these panels (when located in situ) holes 23 arespaced at appropriate modular distances, said holes being made duringthe formation of each panel, or, if desired, after the formation of thepanel. The end one of each row of holes, i.e., adjacent the vertical endface 21b when in situ, is spaced from said face 21b by a distance equalto one half of the modular spacing between the other holes 23 of therow.

Elongated plate members 25 having a width equal to the total thicknessof a given wall to be constructed are used as bases for the formation ofplane walls. Pins 29 or other projections are upstanding from eachsurface of each plate 25 and are secured to each plate 25 by theirplates 27 (see FIG. 18) and the pins 29 are arranged, as are the thinplates 27, in pairs adjacent the longitudinal edges of each plate 25.

In FIG. 17 plate member 25x is shown similar to the plate 25, but withthin plates 27x and pins 29x provided only on one face. The spacing ofthe adjacent pins 29 along a single edge of the strip plate member 25corresponds .to the spacing between the holes 23 of the panels.

A set of the plate members 25 can engage a ceiling by thedownwardly-extending pins, the ceiling structure being formed, forinstance, by the concrete 13, as shown in FIG. 9. Alternatively stripplate members 25x can be secured 'by adhesive to the ceiling (FIG. 6),or secured by rivets 31 (see FIG. 7), or even embedded partly in theceiling (see FIG. 8), or in any other manner engaged to the horizontalstructure on which a partition wall is to be erected.

A combination of two or more of these securing methods may be employed.A set of these plate members 25 or 25x, suitably spaced, are arranged onthe ceiling, in such a manner that the longitudinal spacing between theend pins of two adjacent plate members is equal to the pitch or amultiple of the pitch between the holes 23 of the panels. It is thuspossible to locate a first horizontal row of pairs of panels 21 on thetwo longitudinal rows of pins 29 or 29x, a common panel at least beingrelated to two contiguous strip plate members, and the side-by-sidepanels being spaced from each other according to the spacing between thepairs of transversely aligned pins in each plate member or 25x; the twoadjacent panels may be longitudinally aligned or off-set relative to oneanother.

Other strip plate members (see especially FIGS. 4 and 20) are arrangedabove the first series of the pairs of panels, so that thedownwardly-extending pins 29 penetrate into the upper recesses or holesof the underlying panels. Then a second series of pairs of panels 21 islocated, each panel being off-set with respect to the underlying onesand each engaging at least two contiguous plate members. Continuing theassembly, a doubleskinned Wall is obtained and its panels are connectedto one another in vertical and horizontal directions. The connectionalso takes place with the aid of an adhesive or binding material for theconnection of the pins 29 and 29x to the walls having the holes 23.

For additional stiffening, provisions may be made for verticalreinforcing members (FIGS. 1 and 3), inserted in the gap between thepanels and interposed between contiguous strip plate members 25. At theupper end of the walls thus formed beneath an overlying ceiling, thesaid walls are extended between ceiling panels 37, which are carried bya grid formed by channel section members 38 and 38a (see FIG. 1),supported by the overlying ceiling structure.

For the construction of corners or of angled walls, special strip platemembers 39 (see FIGS. 11 and 21) are used. These members are arranged toengage the panels 21 in pairs at right angles to each other, with theaid of pins 41 mounted Similarly to pins 29. A small plate or shim 43carries pins 41a having the same function as the pins 41 and a centralpin 45 serves to engage a spacer 47 (see FIG. 21) arranged to close thegap formed between the pairs of panels. The position of the pins 41,41a, and 45, in relation to the modular spacing, is such as to allowassembly alternatively in the arrangement shown in FIG. 21 and in asymmetrical arrangement, obtained by assuming an inversion of FIG. 21about the diagonal of the corner shown in FIG. 1 in the plane of thedrawing.

A plate member 49 of FIG. 13 can be used in the manner illustrated inFIG. 24, to set up T junctions between the walls, or plate member 51 ofFIG. 12 in the manner shown in the left-hand portion of FIG. 23. Forcross-over junctions between two walls, a cross-shaped plate 53 elementis used(FIG. 22).

Between the juxtaposed panels, narrow gaps are formed correpsonding tothe sum of the thickness of the parts 27, 25, 27, and these gaps arerelatively thin but suited to receive a stucco (plaster) lining. Floorslabs 57 (see FIG. 1) may cover the flooring junction lines, the ceiling37 forms an upper finishing.

For the construction of the external walls, three sets of panels areused and indicated respectively from the outside to the inside by 21x,21y, 212 (FIG. 1). For the construction of the external walls, strip orlaminar plate members 59 and 59x are used and are provided with threerows of upper and lower pins 61 on the strips 59 and 61x, arranged abovethe strip members 59x. At the outer edges, the plate members 59x have anadditional row of downwardly-directed pins 61y, The cornice 19 hasprojecting shoulders 19a (FIG. 2) arranged to rest on the flanges of thebeam 3. Holes 19b in the shoulders 19a engage the projecting portions17a of the rods 17, and are thereby secured to the structure. Thecornice 19 has a lower edge portion 190, which engages the upper edgesof panels 211 of the wall underlying the ceiling to which the cornice isapplied. The cornice has moreover,

at the upper edge thereof, holes 19d, in which the pins 61y of the platemembers 59x engage. The elements 59x rest on the ceiling structure, onthe beam 3 and on the cornice.

The assembly of the external panels is effected substantially as that ofthe internal panels, with the use of the members 59, 59x instead of themembers 25 and 25x. Strip plate members, similar to those denoted by 49or I51, are used for the joints between external walls and the internalpartition walls as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24.

It is to be noted that with the use of the cornice as described and withthe structure illustrated particularly in FIG. 1, between the panels 21yand 21z, a continuous gap is formed between the walls in differentplanes. The shoulders 19a allow the passage of air betwen the cornice 19and the beam 3, and the spacing between the contiguous plate members 59and the presence of the holes in the same plates 59 in alignment withthe gap between the panels 21y-21z establish the continuity of a gap,which ensures thermal insulation of the external wall. In the gapbetween the panels 21y and 21z, reinforcing section members, such asthose denoted by 35, may be inserted and said reinforcing section membermay be retained between the beam 3 and the cornice 19.

Members such as these denoted by 63 in FIG. 3 may serve to define thevertical sides of windows and/or of doors.

The construction hereinbefore particularly described is readilyassembled and dismantled regardless of location and can be used to formvertical partition walls and outer walls.

I claim:

1. In a multi-level building structure, a framework including supportingcolumns and perimetral horizontal beams at the floor levels thereof,floors extending between said perimetral beams, two spaced walls restingperimetrally on said floors adjacent the outer edges thereof, each wallincluding a plurality of vertical panel elements having a set ofrecesses spaced along two horizontal edges thereof, horizontallyextending flat plate members positioned between said edges of adjacentpanel elements, said plate members including outer extensions projectingbeyond the outer wall, two rows of spaced projections projecting fromsaid flat members from above and below, said projections penetratinginto said recesses of the vertical panel elements for mutual engagement;said outer extensions having a further row of spaced projections;cornice elements including projecting shoulders engaging said beams andmaintaining said cornice elements spaced from said beams; a third outerwall superposed on said cornice elements, said third wall includingpanels having spaced recesses on the horizontal edges thereof engagingsaid spaced projections of said further row of projections of the flatplate members; said third wall and said cornice elements cooperating todefine, with the outer of the spaced walls and the horizontal beams, acontinuous gap for air circulation.

2. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said horizontalperirnetral beams are I-beams, each said cornice element having twovertical shoulders disposed between the horizontal flanges of saidbeams; said structure further including anchoring means extending fromsaid beams and engaging said cornice elements.

3. A structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cornice elementsinclude depending outer lower extensions externally overlapping theupper edge of a third outer wall therebelow.

4. A structure according to claim 1 further comprising an auxiliaryprojection lying between two of said rows of projections on the plate atthe angular intersection of two external walls, and obturating meansengaging said auxiliary projection and serving to close the spacelocally between said panels.

(References on following page) 5 6 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTSUNITED STATES PATENTS 227,917 11/1962 Austria. 872,111 1/1906 Dow 52-585914,313 7/1954 Germany; 2,014,778 9/1935 Pederson 52-583 625,552 6/1949GreatBmam 2,261,510 11/1941 Atcheson 52-442 5 48,274 9/1919 Swedw2,284,301 5/1942 Rieser.

3,170,267 2/1965 Rosenfeld 52585 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

